I learned the hard way about mixing family and floristry

I see a lot of florists say they always do flowers for family events for free, and I get it, but I disagree. Last year, my cousin asked me to handle all the centerpieces for her wedding reception. I agreed thinking it would be a nice gift, but it turned into a huge job with last-minute changes and no thank you. She kept adding more tables and wanted specific flowers that were out of season, costing me time and money. Other relatives started expecting the same treatment for their events, and I was drowning in unpaid work. Now I have a simple rule: I give a family discount, but I charge for materials and a small fee for my time. It might seem cold, but it saved my sanity and my business. Trust me, setting boundaries early saves a lot of drama later.

4 comments

4 Comments

green.val3mo ago

Reminds me of my cousin's wedding where the cake person was a friend of the bride. Total mess, showed up late with melting frosting. Guess some family discounts just aren't worth the headache, like @ray617 said.

kim_ramirez33mo ago

Wait, but does it always have to be a disaster when a friend helps out? I've seen friends who bake for weddings and they do an amazing job because they care. Isn't the problem more about whether they treat it like a real job instead of a favor? Setting clear rules from the start can avoid a lot of those headaches. So maybe it's not the discount that's bad, but how people handle it.

ray6173mo ago

My family discount still caused arguments.

james_bell2mo ago

You're right that clear rules help, but in my experience, even a discount can make some people treat the work as less serious.